Story Title: The Five Regions
Chapter: Prologue/20ish
Chapter Word Count: 3,275 words (was 2,837)
Chapter Summary: Different people come together…
A/N: This chapter has been edited as of 2/15/15. I have included – and will do that for all the edited chapters – the original word count so you guys get an idea of how much the difference is between what was there before and what is here now. I don't delete content, rather modify what is there and expand on ideas that were kept too brief. On the document I am tracking all changes being made so I can see the difference between them and…yeah there are times where it looks like a completely different document.
All the chapters that are posted will be edited like this as I work through it again to make more progress on writing further on the story.

Prologue: Empowered, Gifted, and Enlightened

Where there is power, dispute follows close behind until balance is found.

In the land known as the Mineral Valley, the dispute between the powers of the Gifted and the Empowered had been raging for centuries. The Gifted held power over the world around them, using a variety of methods to channel their energy to affect aspects of their surroundings. The abilities of the Empowered were focused inward and effects were restricted to the person which would allow them to become capable of inhuman feats. The different nature of the two forms of power is what started the dispute. There was a quick escalation to war, which resulted in nothing but loss of life; for despite the differences between the kinds of power, they complimented each other on a fundamental level. The war continued without any headway being made on either side, the only difference in the land being the Gifted gathering in the southern half of the land to be close to the mountains and elements they could use for protection while the Empowered moved north to utilize the forests and plains to help protect themselves.

This is how life continued in the Valley for the next few hundred years with no indication that anything would change.

But change did happen and it came in the form of a man named Noal Nobunaga and his wife Terrah. Their arrival brought something to the Valley that the inhabitants had never before been exposed to: power other than that of the Gifted or Empowered. The power of the Nobunagas was termed Enlightened as their abilities were not restricted to the person or environment, but rather seemed to be without limit. It was unknown where exactly the Enlightened came from and even if there were any more than the pair that worked their way through the land. The two dedicated their lives to working between the populations of the Valley and mediate to the point where a peace was established to bridge the differences between the different powers.

For their actions to benefit the people of the Mineral Valley, it was under unanimous decision to give honor to the Nobunagas and their place as King and Queen of the Valley was implemented before they could resist the action. Their hesitation in being given the position didn't affect how they ruled though: once they were responsible for the people, they worked tirelessly to help the Valley become a land of peace and unity despite the differences between the people within it.

Recognizing that the people would still need to have some measure of separation until peace was further experienced – and the land was simply too vast to monitor on his own – Noal quickly decided to transform the Mineral Valley into different Regions, each with its own representative and acting leader who reported directly to the King. He built up a stronghold in the very center of the land and the area around it became known as the Central Diamond Region. The northern region, whose population continued to primarily consist of Empowered, was named the Crystal Region with the southern region and its Gifted population was called the Emerald Region.

With the Diamond Region breaking up the lands heavily populated by a specific people, the remaining land to the east and west – which had been populated by the minority of people who were born without powers during the years of dispute – then became lands known for a mixed population. The western area became the Ruby Region and the eastern area was called the Jade Region. They also became home to training facilities organized by the King to give all people with powers the chance to learn how to best utilize their abilities and receive a fair education. This also helped to further ensure that the populations of power mixed even for those who grew up in the Crystal and Emerald Regions. The training facilities were and unbelievable success and their creation did nothing but solidify the Nobunagas further into their position of authority over the Five Regions.

The Nobunagas also brought to the people knowledge and understanding of their powers that they had never had the opportunity or means to discover on their own. They revealed to the people that all their power came from what the Enlightened called "Cores" and it was what made a person capable of the abilities they possessed. They were as vital to the individual as the mind or heart and while every single one was unique in some manner, each was limited by what was termed its nature and that was what determined to person to be Gifted or Empowered or even Enlightened.

It was the capability to manipulate their Cores that had given the Enlightened their great power and what had led to them being called such a name. It was also in reference to the knowledge they brought that seemed to be beyond what the people of the Five Regions had been capable of before the appearance of the couple. It was this knowledge that had proven that common ground existed between them which could be the foundation of an alliance between warring powers.

Along with passing on the knowledge of the existence of Cores, the Enlightened introduced the prospect of Bonding. It was the ultimate declaration of commitment between two people where a connection was created between their Cores. This connection – while volatile at first – became something of a lifeline between two people. Because those who Bonded usually did so because there was a natural connection – usually a connection of love and commitment – between them to begin with, the Bond itself was treated with the utmost respect and interfering with the development of a Bond was not tolerated. This value of the Bond began with the Nobunagas – for all could see the relationship between Noal and Terrah was one deeper than any thought possible – and spread through the Regions alongside the knowledge of the Cores. Bonding became important to the people.

Over the next fifteen years, the land learned how to live as a united people and the nature of power faded to a secondary factor in their interactions. During this time, Queen Terrah birthed six children – four sons and two daughters – until her life was claimed during the labor of the youngest child. The land grieved the loss deeply, after all the Enlightened had been an ageless strength within the land and to lose one of them to something so…ordinary was difficult to accept. Just as the people were reaching a critical point of doubt and vulnerability, King Noal announced that all of his children were granted Enlightened powers and the older ones were already being raised as leaders of the land. This announcement brought about the relief he was going for – six more Enlightened had to be more than enough to cover the loss of the Queen. So the children of Noal Nobunaga – Keiran, Nira, Rohn, Kale, Lain, and Aran – became as revered as their parents and grew to care deeply about the land they lived in and the people within it.

Life goes on…

Diamond Region Royal Palace

Noal Nobunaga sighed heavily as he stretched back in his chair, trying to counter the many hours he'd spent hovering over reports from the last week. It was on days like this where he really struggled to tolerate the position he had been placed in as king; he was a warrior above everything and so remaining idle was not to his preference. As the tension left his body with his movement, he decided that there was no reason to maintain his protective appearance and so he would release it to gain further relaxation of not having any of his abilities be active. He closed his eyes and muttered "Kalen Fujii" to the empty room. His power reacted immediately to the command and the air surrounding him shifted as the Illusory Barrier which altered his appearance to be the face that all within the Five Regions recognized dissipated to reveal his true features. The stocky build didn't change as he had been raised as a warrior, but the once fairer skin darkened to a healthy bronze with light brown hair which was cut close to his scalp and eyes to match.

Feeling much more relaxed and focused, Kalen turned back to the reports. There had been a sudden increase in disputes between the Gifted and the Empowered that didn't fit with the cooperation – peace – that had been reigning over the past thirty years. The only cause he could think of for the difference was in the announcement that his sons would be taking charge of the outer regions. Even that seemed like a long shot though: he'd made sure to check with Kohaku and Ryoku – his eldest two sons who were much more skilled at Looking through time than he was – and neither had reported these problems as a risk in revealing his plan to place his children in official positions of authority.

Then again, male Enlightened had never really been particularly skilled at Pre- and Post-Cognition. There was just something about the nature of the skill that worked better for women. His wife, Rei, had not only been very good at finding exactly what he needed to know in time, she had also managed to impart a great deal of this skill upon their first three children – who were the only ones old enough to understand the lessons at the time – before she had died. After her death, Kalen had severely restricted all his children in the use of the ability. In fact, this was the first time in nearly ten years he'd even mentioned using the power in making a decision.

But Kohaku and Ryoku had reported that they couldn't find evidence of severe adverse reactions to the announcement. A few isolated incidents across the regions was one thing – an everyday occurrence in fact – but outright violence against the Guardian patrols and Royal Defenders – both positions being representations of the influence of the King – was something that had never surfaced before. That was something Kalen considered to be the beginnings of a severe adverse reaction.

Then there were also the continued reports of attacks spreading further along the Southern Emerald Region's border of people calling themselves Vagabonds who bore cores of a different nature than any other within the Mineral Valley to give concern over.

A knock on his door pulled him from the line of thought and he called the person in, knowing the feel of Shohei Kazuki, the Captain of the Defenders. The man entered with a slight bow to acknowledge his friend's position in the only degree he was allowed. Kalen hated being treated as a king by anyone, let alone by people he cared about.

"Shohei, it was so kind of you to provide me with an excuse to take a breather from these frustrating reports. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Kalen said, though he could from Shohei's stiff posture that this would not be a pleasant visit.

"Sir, Asaka asked me something I found disturbing," Shohei responded, aware of Kalen's knowledge of his stress. He noticed the King's caramel brown eyes darken at the name of the Defender who was in charge of his children's protection. "He asked me when I had last seen Wataru." Kalen's demeanor darkened further at the mention of his youngest child, knowing that Shohei was supposed to have daily weapons training with each one of his offspring – he was the only one Kalen trusted to do the job.

"And what was your response?" the tone was dangerously even.

Shohei paused, knowing his answer could very well get him killed, despite his friendship with the man. Anger wasn't a safe emotion for an Enlightened to experience as their cores were much more prone to reacting to emotions than that of Gifted or Empowered. "I can't say with certainty. I asked other Defenders in Wataru's private guard and they are saying the same thing. I don't know what it means."

"What have you done about it?"

"I have had the Region searched physically and asked your other children to search through their own means. So far nothing conclusive has been found." Shohei's posture crumpled slightly as he thought over the situation. "Kalen, he's disappeared and I need to know why. You are the only one who may be able to explain. Nobody knows your children's capabilities and actions like you do." Shohei watched as Kalen was able to pull away from his distress and focus on what might give him answers. After a few minutes of deep reflection he looked back to Shohei with resignation.

"I have no idea why he would disappear, though with the strength of his Influence, it wouldn't take too much power and effort. He would only have to suggest to those around him that they didn't need to be concerned with him for some time. The suggestion would force thoughts of him to the back of your mind for as long as he needed. Now that he was brought to your attention, the effects were broken and you realized how long you actually hadn't seen him. I'm going to hazard a guess that he's found a way to disconnect from his siblings long enough to get out of their range."

"What range are we looking at?" The range may give them a timeframe to work from. They may find someone outside of Wataru's Influence who might point them in a reasonably accurate direction.

"He'd have to pass the boundary of a Region. The lines that act as borders for each Region have the means to act as a barrier between powers if someone knows how to use it, even as idle as they are now. With the same power though, the same power acts as a connection between the leaders of each Region, a connection that can't be severed by anything but death." Nobody but Kalen and the current representatives of each Region knew that there were even powers held within the land itself and so Shohei would have had no reason to already know what was being told to him now. Shohei's mind was quick and he absorbed this new knowledge at once and tried to use it to help him find the answer of what to do in searching for Wataru. "But he's been named the Ambassador of the Crystal Region."

There was more that Kalen had not made clear to others: when he had announced that his sons were to take over command of the Regions, he had not clarified that there was more to them truly gaining any position than to just send them to the land and giving commands. "He's been chosen to lead that Region, but he hasn't been connected to the land's power and initiated into the position. None of them were to be given their position for another month. I'd confidently say that that was his deadline. Accepting that connection meant he'd no longer be able to separate from his siblings and myself." Kalen paused and seemed to consider something. "Wataru has always had unusual development in his abilities. They are inconsistently emerging and even regressing and his life has even been put in danger because of it several times."

This was only partially news to Shohei. He remembered times where nobody was allowed near the boy for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. When it came to an Enlightened there weren't many reasons for secluding them besides power complications. Although, now that it was brought to Shohei's attention, none of Kalen's other children had needed to go through periods of seclusion other than the youngest one who was currently missing.

So what did that mean for the teen to now be alone in the general population?

"What do you want me to do, Your Highness?"

Despite knowing that the question was coming and already knowing his response, Kalen couldn't help but hesitate in answering. He knew that his decision was the best course to follow, both from the perspective as a king not placing his own needs above the people and as an Enlightened and having trust in the powers that guided the lives of him and his family. This did not, however, change the fact that his order would hurt him as a parent. "Call off the search. You know Wataru: he's more stubborn than all of my other children combined. If he's set his mind on disappearing, we won't find him." At Shohei's obvious building objection, Kalen continued, "He hides his capabilities very well. He might be better off on his own than with us trying to shape his development. I won't stop believing in him because he made a choice I don't understand."

Shohei couldn't understand the King's decision. His thoughts naturally drifted to his family. If his brother suddenly disappeared, he would do all he could to track him down and bring him back where he belonged. As the thought of his daughter doing something similar occurred to him, Shohei swore he heart stopped beating through his fear. And his friend and king was saying that they should just let his youngest child remain missing.

Was this what it really meant to be Enlightened? To see things beyond what everybody else could? If that was true, what did that mean to Wataru, who had made a choice his father – one of the most powerful Enlightened in existence according to the Nobunaga's claims – could not see through? Was Wataru capable of something beyond Enlightened?

"Yes, sir, I will issue the order at once. However, I would like to offer the general public reward for viable information concerning Wataru." Kalen nodded his agreement, knowing that they had to do something to let the people know he cared. Shohei bowed deeply and turned to leave the King to his grief, knowing no more reports would be read today.

A defeated tone he'd never heard from Kalen – or any of the Nobunagas for that matter – stopped him at the door. "Please Shohei, tell me I'm making the right choice and I haven't just condemned my son."

The room remained silent.

News of the young Prince Aran Nobunaga disappearing spread through the Regions quickly. The public, whether they be Gifted, Empowered, or regular citizens – had trouble accepting the loss of yet another of the royal family. Connections were made almost immediately that the child that was now missing was the one who had claimed the queen's life fourteen years ago.

There were no accusations made though; the Enlightened were too revered to take it that far. Beyond the existing reverence, Aran had spent the past few years becoming very familiar to the public. His strongest ability was a variety of healing methods and he'd made regular trips around the land near his home in the Central Diamond Region to heal those who couldn't afford medical care on their own. He had worked hard since turning twelve to earn the respect of the people rather than simply inheriting it and that showed in the people's depressed response to the news of losing him.

Since his siblings kept their abilities and accomplishments hidden from the public, he had chosen to become a face for the people to associate with the name Nobunaga and Enlightened.

And now he was gone…

No explanation…

No indication of where in the Regions he might be…

There was only the faith that he did what he had to do and that one day he would return to his rightful place beside the rest of his family.

A/N: This should be the last time I edit this since I read through it like three times in a row to make sure it went the way I want/need it to for information to be gotten across. The biggest issue is that my brain decided to throw in different things into the story about 7 chapters in that I didn't really plan or prepare for and now I feel like I need to set it up a little better so it's not happening too far out of left field. So I will be re-updating all the chapters after editing them and then continuing the story. That is the plan and I'm sticking to it!

Until next time,

Kira Dattei